Launch Yourself into 2016
Photo by Alexander Mueller
The last few days of the year are a common time to reflect on the previous twelve months. I know a lot of people who will be taking a few days to think about their successes of 2015, the things they enjoyed doing most and the things they wished they’d done differently.
It’s far from unusual at this point in December to look back at last year’s New Year’s Resolutions with a fair amount of guilt. How long did you manage to stick to your diet, savings plan or gym schedule once January rolled around?!
This year, I’m suggesting that you launch yourself into 2016 with a more long term plan in mind. Instead of choosing one of the standard easy-to-forget-about New Year’s Resolutions this New Year’s Eve, why not spend these last few December days really thinking about where you’d really like your life to be in twelve month’s time?
Depending on where you are right now, you may wish to consider…
- Growing your business sustainably
- Engineering a career change
- Moving towards a better financial position
- Improving your health
- Making a positive impact on your community
- Create a better work/life balance
- Managing a significant lifestyle change
- Working on your personal relationships
- Designing a less stressful routine
- Challenging yourself to further study
Once you’re certain about what you want to achieve, you’ll need think seriously about how you’re going to make it happen. There’s no reason to rush to do this before the calendars change! In fact, you may want to give yourself some recovery time after the excesses and social obligations of the December celebrations have come to an end.
I think the most important thing to remember about any resolution or goal you set for yourself is that things are unlikely to happen overnight. It takes time to make changes worth having, and it may be weeks or even months until you really see the benefit of your hard work.
Of course, if you’re really serious about what you want to achieve it will all be worth it! Here are a few suggestions from me on how to manage you goals and successfully launch yourself in to 2016.
Set SMART targets
The key reason why only 8% of people are successful in keeping their New Year’s Resolutions is because most of the goals we set for ourselves are unrealistic. Instead of setting yourself up to fail, I suggest sitting down with a notebook and pen and plotting out some SMART targets. SMART stands for specific, measured, attainable, realistic, time-bound. When you set goals using these pointers as a guideline, you can be sure you’re setting yourself a well-thought out realistic challenge.Find yourself an accountability partner
It can be difficult to motivate yourself to keep working towards your goals when you don’t have anyone to hold you to account. The simple act of bringing someone else in on your plans will make you far more likely to stick to them! You may find that talking to your partner or a friend about your goals (and theirs!) will inspire you to keep going. If you think you’ll need a bit more of a push in the right direction, a professional coach could be the ideal accountability partner. They’ll be able to help you work towards targets, set new ones and effectively evaluate your progress through the year.Put review dates in your diary
Many people start the year with big goals but quickly forget about them. If this is something you’ve done in the past, there’s an easy way to avoid it. Go through your diary now and add a monthly reminder to review progress on your 2016 goal. It doesn’t have to take long: half an hour is long enough to remind yourself what you’re working towards and what you need to do to get there.Celebrate your successes along the way
Working towards a big goal can take a long time. Keep your enthusiasm along the way by making sure you celebrate each success on the journey, however small. Celebrations don’t have to be expensive or extravagant. Baking a cake, lighting candles at dinner, taking a day trip or gathering a few friends together can all be great ways to mark the occasion and keep you feeling positive.If you’re feeling unsure about how to launch yourself into 2016, I’m here to help. Why not read about how coaching could benefit you?
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